Athletics-Australian Bannister banned for missing doping tests

SYDNEY, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Commonwealth javelin champion Jarrod Bannister has been banned for 20 months for missing anti-doping tests and will not be able to defend his title in Glasgow next year.

The Australian record holder, part of his country's team at the London Olympics, said on his Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Jarrod.Bannister1) that he would not be able to compete again until Feb. 2015.

Bannister fell foul of rules that require athletes to let doping officials know of their whereabouts and punish anyone who misses three tests in an 18-month period.

The 28-year-old said the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling accepted that "there was no deliberate action" on his part to avoid the tests and he called on authorities to tighten up procedures surrounding out-of-competition testing. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Ian Ransom)